Recently in Photos for OS X

Aperture users who have aging libraries from the past don't need to keep nursing their geriatric host application to view, edit, and share those images. Photos for macOS can handle that job just fine.

When I bought a new iMac for my studio computer, I opted not to load Aperture on it. Instead, I have Photos for macOS, Lightroom, Capture One Pro, and Luminar. That computer is connected to two Drobos that house my images from the last 15 years. Many of those shots are inside Aperture "managed" libraries.

When I need to access content from one of those libraries, I simply double-click on the file container in the Finder. It will have the extension: aplibrary.

Original Aperture library.

The Mac launches Photos, and displays a Preparing Library... screen. The conversion goes at a good rate, ranging from just a few minutes to longer depending on the size of the library. Once Photos is ready with the content, it will display all of your previous Aperture images in its new interface.

Migrated Aperture library displayed in Photos for macOS. Notice how the original albums are displayed in the sidebar.

Your Aperture albums are retained and stored in a folder named: "iPhoto Events". From this point, you can use Photos editing tools, extensions, and all of the other goodies to manage your shots. Keep in mind that this converted library is not the System Library, rather a separate library. You can switch back and forth by quitting Photos, then holding down the Option key when relaunching the app.

Back at the Finder level, two things have happened. First, the file extension for the original Aperture library was changed to: migratedaplibrary. Then a second Photos library appears with the extension: photoslibrary. My recommendation is to archive the original library and use the new one for your current work.

Back at the Finder level, you now have two versions of the original Aperture library.

Using the RAW Power editing extension ($13.99) with Photos for macOS can squeeze every bit of image data from your files, even a ho-hum flower shot. Here are the 3 steps I use.

Original flower shot I quickly grabbed one morning on my way to work. Here's how it looked before processing in RAW Power.

Decoded image in RAW Power. I used its sliders to breath life into my RAW file.

Final touches added in Photos. Once I save changes in the RAW Power editing extension, the image is automatically returned to Photos for macOS for finishing.

Because of the wonderful ecosystem that Photos offers, more users are processing their RAW files in Photos for macOS. As you can see, RAW Power is one of those affordable, powerful tools.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

For this image, captured with my iPhone X and automatically imported into my Photos for macOS app, I used the Luminar Editing Extension that's bundled free with the app. It's easy to use. Just click on the 3 dots at the top of the editing tools and choose Luminar 2018.

Sending the original image to Luminar 2018 from Photos for macOS.

I then choose the Aerial Photography Workspace in Luminar. It's a great starting point for the edits. I decided to add a couple additional Filters (Vignette and Image Radiance), then clicked the Save Changes Button to return to Photos. As you can see by the Before/After illustration below, there is a dramatic improvement to the image.

The Before and After in the Luminar Editing Extension.

The workflow could not be simpler. The iPhone image was automatically uploaded to my Mac via iCloud. It was waiting for me in Photos. The Luminar Editing Extension is ready to use. I spend a minute or two improving the shot. Then the saved changes are automatically shared to all of my devices, including back to my iPhone.

Airplane Window Photography has never been easier, or more beautiful.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

You could say that it's a crazy hybrid approach to art photography, but it's also convenient with great results. I've been shooting film, having the lab digitize it when it's processed, then printing the images with my inkjet printer using Photos for macOS and Red River Paper card stock. And they look different than anything I've created in the past.

The workflow is easy. I shoot the film (which is fun in itself) then send it off to the lab for processing and scanning. I don't get lab prints, just the negatives and the scans.

Once everything comes back from the lab, I look at the negatives on a light table. I do this for a couple reasons. First, I can really tell how well I did by looking at the film under the loupe. It's just me, celluloid, and optics. I also check for light leaks and other potential issues that I might need to be aware of with how the camera is working.

I then look at the scans. This is the fun part for me, because it's my first viewing of the images in positive format. As with any film project, sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad.

I tend not fiddle around with the images much in post production. I want to retain as much of their raw analog quality as possible. If I do have to touch them up, I can use the editing tools in Photos for macOS, or the Luminar 2018 editing extension. Lots of power with these options, and they keep me in my easy workflow.

Then it's time to print. I've been using Red River Paper Matte Card Stock for the output. It's beautiful paper that comes scored, making it easy to fold to 5"x7" finished size. I also purchase my envelopes for the cards at RRP.

"Surfboards, Maui" Printed version using Red River Paper card stock and Photos for macOS with an inexpensive Canon wireless printer. Image by Derrick Story.

In my book, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition, I explain how to use the Card tool in Photos to generate your own fine art greeting cards. All of your work is saved as a project in Photos, so you can go back anytime and pick up where you left off, or print more cards.

As for the final product, these cards look different than anything I've created before. The combination of analog film with modern inkjet technology is truly unique. And the fact that I can manage the entire effort in Photos for macOS keeps it all so very simple.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

Photos for macOS is a terrific app for managing videos captured with iPhones and mirrorless cameras. You have organizing features such as albums, keywords, and location data. Plus it has a few tricks up its sleeve, such as exporting single frames from your movies as Tiffs.

Given the high quality of our video capture these days, this is a reasonable approach for publishing photographs online. In fact, the image I used with this week's TDS podcast was snagged from an iPhone video. Here's how it works.

Photos sends the Tiff file to your Pictures folder. From there you can retrieve it and open it in an app such as Preview, or import it back into Photos. It's really a handy feature that I find myself using more and more.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

When you open a Live Photo in Photos for macOS High Sierra, you have a number of creative possibilities. With that original content, you can create an animated GIF or simulate a long exposure, such as with water. I show you how to tap this resource in this movie.

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

Apple's Photos for macOS High Sierra app was designed from the ground up to help you organize, edit, and share your pictures and videos. While the interface appears simple, finding the hidden nuances of Photos is not so straightforward. There's much more to this app than initially meets the eye.

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition shines a light on the true sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. From the point of view of a working photographer, Derrick provides everything you need to know to get the most out of the imaging tools built into this application.

Some of my favorite features covered in the book include:

Adding star ratings to your images and sorting them using the new Filters popup menu.

Roundtripping to Photoshop and other external apps using the new Edit With command.

Editing Live Photos captured with your iPhone and creating animated GIFs from them.

Working with iCloud Photo Library to sync your photos across your devices (and automatically back them up as well).

Adding location data to your images so you can map your travels with your photos.

Editing your images with Photos' basic tools, and then going beyond with more advanced adjustments such as Selective Color and Curves.

Integrating third-party Editing Extensions into your workflow so you can build a digital darkroom tailored to your style of photography.

Creating projects such as books, cards, calendars, prints, and slideshows--and showing you how to create your own Fine Art Cards at home with just your Mac and an inkjet printer.

Working with videos as well as still photos.

If you work in the Apple ecosystem, and you haven't looked at Photos for a while, then the The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd EditionApple Photos Book for Photographers, 2md Edition is for you. And if you have been using Photos, I think you'll learn some new tricks.

Between the outstanding editing extensions such as Luminar 2018, and the new Edit With command in Photos for macOS High Sierra, you can design a customized, powerful, and fun digital darkroom for cheap. In my upcoming online Nimble Classroom titled, Build Your Digital Darkroom with Photos (Saturday, March 10), I show you how.

And if that isn't thrilling enough... Each member of this Nimble Classroom will received a signed copy of my new Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition, which is throughly updated for the current version of the app. Participants also receive all the video modules from the live class, so they can be reviewed and referred to as often as wanted.

As of this writing, there are only 4 seats left for this Nimble Classroom. If you want to participate, sign up today.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Spots, blemishes, and scratches are easily fixed using the Retouch Tool in Photos for macOS. Because it's so easy to use, some downplay its power. Watch this video to see what Retouch is great at, and the corrections that may require a different approach.

And for those pesky jobs that are a bit challenging for Photos' Retouch Tool, you can still remain in your workflow by using the Erase Tool and Clone & Stamp in the Luminar Editing Extension that comes bundled with the standalone application.

The Retouch Tool in Photos for macOS can handle most jobs. But if your need more, add Luminar to your workflow.

Regardless of which approach you take, these tools are very powerful and non-destructive.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Photos for macOS High Sierra has many functions that might surprise enthusiast photographers who underestimate its power. One of my favorite timesavers is Copy and Paste Adjustments. Here's a video that shows how to use it.

This function is particularly helpful when you have a series of images captured under similar lighting conditions. Edit the first photo in the sequence, copy the adjustments (Image > Copy Adjustments) then navigate to the next shot to paste them (Image > Paste Adjustments).

I find it helpful to turn on thumbnails (View > Show Thumbnails) so I can navigate from one shot to the next while remaining in Edit mode. You don't have to click the Done button until you've finished with the entire batch.

Using Copy and Paste Adjustments is a great way to speed up your workflow. Give it a try.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.